Coming up with blog post ideas can be hard when it’s your job!
Freelance writers often have to come up with blog topics and pitch their ideas to their clients or editors. And to top it all off, if you have a blog or personal blog – which every freelance writer should – having fresh ideas can take a toll.
I’ve been freelance writing for a little over a year now and I have over 20+ clients, two blogs I write and manage and two other blogs where I guest contribute.
So, you can say there are days when I’m totally unable to come up with a blog post idea and I’m scrambling.
Does that happen to you?
You land several clients in your niche and now you have to come up with three topic ideas in the same niche!
While the best clients are the ones that give you free range to pitch ideas and come up with your own topics – for me – these clients can be more time consuming.
So, to make sure I’m working smarter and not harder, I’ve thought of 37 blog post ideas for your clients or for your blog.
Bookmark this post and refer back to it for more inspiration!
But, before we get into the list, make sure to grab your free blog post schedule for freelance writers!
FREE: Click here and grab my freelance writer blog post schedule
1. Use Title Generators
I don’t know about you, but if I read headlines in my niche, this is enough to get the creative juices flowing and help me come up with several topics very easily.
The best title generator that gives you oodles and oodles of ideas is the Tweak Your Biz Title Generator.
Just enter your topic, let it know if it’s a noun or verb and hit submit.
Here’s my result for “email marketing.”
You can write great blog posts just by look through these headlines:
10 Effective Ways to Get More Out of Your Email Marketing
Email Marketing Doesn’t Have to Be Hard – Read These 10 Tips
10 Creative Ways You Can Improve Your Email Marketing
Tweak Your Biz isn’t the only headline generator. Others include Portent and SEOPressor.
2. Look At Your Archive
If you’re struggling coming up with blog post ideas for your blog, go through your archive. See what you have already written. This can give you ideas about any “holes” or “gaps” you might have missed.
For example, I know for this blog, I haven’t done a post on tools for freelance writers. I’ve realized that a lot of new freelance writers aren’t aware of what tools to use for your business. This is something I could talk about on this blog.
For your clients, if their blog has many posts, go through them and see if you can add a new perspective to older content.
For me, since I guest post on FreelancerFAQs – a site I manage and own – I often look at old posts on this blog and use that to help me write a post on FAQs.
For example, I wrote 6 Foolproof Marketing Tips to Help You Become a Better Freelance Writer on this blog.
For FreelancerFAQs, I ended up writing a post called, How Do I Promote Myself as a Freelance Writer?
While both posts talk about marketing yourself, each one is unique and provides lots of different tips.
3. Look at Competitor’s Blogs
Don’t think no one does this! The best bloggers and freelance writers always grabs an idea or two from competitors in their niche or client’s niche.
For example, with this blog, since I’m writing about freelance writing mostly, I’ll look to The Write Life, FreelancerFAQs, Be a Freelance Blogger and even hit up personal freelance writer’s blogs like Alicia Rades or Lauren Tharp for ideas.
I remember looking at this title on The Write Life and thinking I can do a post on that subject.For one of my ghostwriting clients, I often have to look at other blogs in their niche to draft up some topics for the month. It doesn’t take long, but it’s a lot easier to do this than to come up with completely original ideas, because if you already don’t know, most blog post ideas have been recycled.
4. Read Posts in Your Niche
Part of being a freelance writer is knowing the top trends going on in your niche. This helps you learn any new products, tools or applications that your client might like you reporting on their blog.
Since I’m in the digital marketing niche I often try to read a post or two from the following blogs:
Neil Patel
QuickSprout
Twelveskip
Smart Blogger
Hubspot
Unbounce
Kissmetrics
I don’t do it all the time, but when I have some time I’ll check out these sites and go through their blog and find some good reading material.
5. Take a New Angle on a Known Topic
As I mentioned before, most everyone has written about all the topics in your niche. It’s hard to find something no one has heard of.
What you can do instead, is provide a new angle on a known topic or something that’s been written about before from many people.
For example, for the freelance writing niche, I know there’s been talk about displaying your rates on your site. Most say that it’s better to display them since you won’t get any low-ball offers and you’ll end up attracting your ideal client.
So, why not flip that around and write a post on Not Posting Your Rates Makes You More Money.
It’s a new angle on a known topic.
6. Start a New Blog!
Wh-what? Why would starting a new blog give you more ideas? A new blog MEANS you NEED more ideas.
Well I disagree.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a creative person. That’s why I love doing images for my blogs and clients and that’s why I am a freelance writer.
I recently started a new blog called TwinsMommy.
It’s not a mommy blogging site where all I talk about are my twins. It’s actually a work from home site for moms that want to go from mom to mompreneur.
It’s in a similar niche as freelance writing, but it’s much broader. And you know what? I have about twenty blog post ideas for that blog already.
And, because of all that creative juice flowing, I have several ideas for this blog too!
So, why not start a new blog?
7. Turn an Infographic Into a Blog Post
Go to Pinterest and search for infographics. Here’s one on branding.
Use this to inspire you and write your own branding post to help freelance writers, entrepreneurs, small businesses etc..
8. Turn a Podcast Into a Blog Post
Just like you can use inforgraphics to help you come up with blog post ideas, you can also use podcasts.
Both All Indie Writers and Little Zotz do podcasts on freelance writing.
Listen to some of those and use what you’re learning from those podcasts to help you come up with a blog post idea for your blog.
9. Turn a Video Into a Blog Post
Finally, check out some YouTube videos of bloggers in your niche.
You can get loads of great blog post ideas for your blog and your client’s blog. Freelancer Lizzie Davey has a YouTube channel for her Wanderful World blog. Her videos talk about freelancing in general.
Looking to other freelancers’ YouTube channels or bloggers/marketers in your niche can help you generate tons of blog post ideas.
10. Do a Case Study
People love learning from others. If you’re successful at what you are doing, plenty of people want in on how you were able to achieve this.
What better way to explain your process then with a case study on your blog or even your client’s blog?
Over on one of my client’s blog, I wrote a post about my email marketing sales funnel. I pitched them my idea and they said go ahead.
Over on my TwinsMommy blog I’m doing a case study on growing that blog. I’m going to do monthly reports on generating more traffic, readers and money from TwinsMommy.
That’s a post every month, which leaves me with one less idea to come up for my monthly content schedule.
11. Use Entertainment for Blog Post Ideas
It’s important as freelance writers to do more than just write! Watch a movie, follow a TV show, read a book or listen to the news.
By doing this you can draw from those types of entertainment and relate it to your industry.
Here’s course participant Kate Muller and her blog post relating The Walking Dead with Freelance Writing.Want another example?
Here’s Francesca Nicasio’s post on her blog, Be a Freelance Writer, talking about how the show How I Met Your Mother can teach you about finding clients.
Do you have a favorite TV show, book, sports team, movie or actress you can use to create a blog post in your niche?
12. Use BuzzSumo or Quora For Ideas
To use these tools, you first need a keyword or general idea of what you want to write about. So, for example, if one of your clients is in the app business, then finding topics around that particular app or apps in general will help you out.
Over at BuzzSumo, I typed in best apps for parents and got this result:
From the results there are several topic ideas I can use for my clients.
Quora works in a similar way. Instead of typing in a keyword, you ask a question. If you need information on productivity tools Quora can help you.
13. Do a Project Wrap-Up Post
Your readers are interested in what you do. So why not treat them with a post on where you’re writing or where you are published?
Doing an end of the month wrap-up post on where you’ve been published is a great way to inspire other writers and to let prospects know you are in demand.
On this blog I’ve written two posts on where I’ve been writing.
Freelance writer Sharon Hurley Hall does a Blogging Portfolio on her blog.
And Katharine Paljug has done monthly wrap-ups over on her freelance blog.
14. Post a Question on Facebook
Facebook is a great place to generate lots of blog post ideas. I belong to several entrepreneur FB groups, small business FB groups and freelance writing groups.
The other day I posted this question and got some great responses that helped me see what new writers are struggling with.
15. Use Real Life for Your Blog Post
There are many ways to use your own life as a muse for your blog. If you have children, pets, wacky family members, or you are a part of a gym or class, you can use that for inspiration.
For example, I was able to score a paid gig from a free guest post. I thought that was a cool thing and that other new writers would benefit from my story. So, I made a post on how I was able to turn a guest post into a paid gig.
16. Broaden Your Niche
You’re niche is too focused! How many posts on blogging or freelance writing can you write about? There’s going to be a time when you’ve written about all there is in a niche.
What do you do?
Well, you broaden your niche. For me, this blog is purely about helping new freelance writers. But, again, there’s only so much I can write about that relates to brand new freelance writers.
But, you know what?
I can also write about blogging in general (like this post here) or writing techniques ( like my editing process post) or freelancing in general.
While it’s ideal to stick to ONE niche, it’s more than okay to broaden it and include related topics. This will help make your blog live longer!
17. Condense a Series
Did you do a series for your client or on your blog? I’ve done a couple series’ on this blog and what’s great is that I can take a series, condense it and create a new post.
That’s what I did with my Freelance Writing Jobs for Newbies series. I created a new post, The Complete Guide to Getting Started Freelance Writing From Scratch.
While the information in my guide is different than my series, it’s based on that series since the topic is about getting started freelance writing.
So, if you have a series on your blog, take a look at it and see if you can condense it to make one big post.
18. Do a List Post
Listicles are easy to do and people seem to love them. My 20 Ways to Find Freelance Writing Jobs as a Beginner already has over 4,000 shares!
Clients like list posts because it’s highly shareable. So, don’t be afraid to write list posts for your blog or your clients, especially if their end goal is to generate more traffic and leads.
19. Expand on a Post
An easy way to come up with a blog topic is to find an old blog post and expand on it. Maybe now you know more about that topic or you have a new angle to share.
I find that when I look back at old posts, I can see lots of areas where I can expand and create new content.
For example, I wrote a post about the importance of having a writer website.
Recently I had a coaching call with a writer and made some suggestions to optimize her website. As a result I wrote about it and included a case study, which just expanded on my previous post about having a writer website.
Both these posts talk about your writer website, but I was able to make a new angle (attracting clients) and offered a case study on how to improve your writer website.
20. Recruit a Guest Writer
Sometimes you’re just too busy to write a post for your blog. You don’t want to neglect your blog and, in fact, you should be treating your blog like a client. But, at the same time, you don’t want to just put out a junky post.
So, what do you do? Well why not ask a fellow freelance writer to write a guest post for your blog? You are still providing lots of value to your readers, and it just gives you more time to work on your client work.
Recently I had one of my course participants write a guest post talking about a pitching challenge I held for my students.
It was a great post on how it changed her whole freelance writing career and proved to be highly valuable for new writers.
If you’re short on time, enlist a blogger friend and see if they wouldn’t mind contributing to your blog.
21. Write a Sequel to a Post
Having themes on your blog is a good thing. If every month you follow up on the same theme, you can build a following.
Maybe there’s an old post you’d like to re-hash. Make a sequel to it and provide even more tips and better information.
It’s great to recycle old blog posts and make them even better than before.
22. Take a Subheading and Turn that Into a Post
It’s always fun to look through old posts and see if you can turn a subheading into a blog post. Flushing out an idea is a challenge, but for freelance writers, it’s something that is required.
Good writers can expand on topics and condense pages of books. So why not practice this skill with your blog posts?
Awhile back I wrote a post on Discover These 4 Freelance Writing Mistakes That Are Costing You Clients and Cash. One subheading in that post is, You’re Not Charging Enough.
I was able to flush out that idea and create a post on what to do before raising your rates.
23. Do a Behind the Scenes Post
People like to learn about you. They want to see what’s happening in your business. Why not let them? I’ve written a post on my freelance writing business as have other bloggers like Nathan Barry or Adam Connell.
Update your readers on what’s going on in your business. It inspires them and helps them grow their own business.
24. Write a Goals Post
This is along the same lines of an update post. Create some yearly or monthly goals and share them with your readers.
They’ll appreciate it and it will help deepen the connection with them. This is what Tom Ewer of Leaving Work Behind did back in 2015:
25. Reflect on The Past
It’s always fun to think about how you succeeded and what you learned. For me, as a new freelance writer I learned a lot in my first year.
I thought my readers would benefit on how much I grew as a writer and since I enjoy reading about other freelance writers, my readers would too.
For example, Karen Marston of Untamed Writing wrote a big post on all the phases of her blog. It gives the readers a glimpse of her brand and business growth.
26. Host a Giveaway or Contest
A great way to increase your email list and readership is to host some sort of giveaway or prize.
Of course anything you give away will come at your expense (unless you have connections), but it’s a small price to pay if you want to grow your blog.
Sophie Lizard over at Be a Freelance Blogger regularly holds PitchFest, which is a content for freelance writers. If you win, you earn $100!
Over on FreelancerFAQs we held a giveaway as a way to generate buzz around the new site.
If you’re stuck on a blog post, you can always hold a contest!
27. Run a Survey Then Post on Your Blog
A great way to get some blog post ideas is to just ask your readers. It can tell you a lot about what their struggles are or what their aching to find out.
Writer Bryan Collins of Become a Writer Today did a survey with his readers and posted the results.
It’s easy to create a survey. You can use SurveyMonkey or Google Forms.
28. Review a Product or Tool
Sometimes the most useful blog post is a review of a product or tool. If you find that you are familiar with Skitch or Canva or Tailwind, why not write a post about it?
Maybe you took a course and want to write about it or compare it to other courses. This is what Damien Du Preez did. He wrote a post on courses that will help new freelance writers.
29. Write a Comprehensive Guide
People love guides. If you write the ultimate guide, the complete guide or the advanced guide, your readers or your client’s readers will love it and learn a lot from it.
Neil Patel is known for his comprehensive guides over on QuickSprout.
Why not make a complete guide or series of guides for your blog or your client? I’ve written complete guides for a few of my clients as they make great content for their blog.
Ashlee Anderson from Work From Home Happiness has a section for guides on her blog.
30. Do a Round-Up Post
People love round-up posts. They love contributing to it and people love reading and sharing it. Tor Refsland of Time Management Chef is known for his epic round-up posts.
One of his round-up has 117 contributors! That’s freaking a lot.
Don’t worry if you don’t know even 50 people in your niche. I’ve done two round up posts with less than 20 people.
31. Feature Other Blogs
Your blog doesn’t have to be all about you! Share the love and feature other bloggers and blogs. One popular post I did was 10 Best Sites to Help You Become a Successful Freelance Writer.
32. Do a Spotlight Series
A popular way to have a full content schedule is to do a spotlight series. This means you pick one person to highlight on your blog.
Lauren Tharp does a spotlight series called, People I Know and even featured me!
Lorraine Reguly has, in the past, done a F.I.T.S. (Freelancer in the Spotlight) Series featuring freelancers.
And I did a Confessions of a Freelance Writer series on my blog and interviewed several freelance writers I look up to.
33. Do a Seasonal Post
For me, I didn’t do a seasonal post for the longest time. I felt that evergreen content (content that isn’t contingent on a time frame) was the best sort of content you can provide on your blog.
But, lo’ an behold, I was running out of blog post ideas and I wanted to spend time with my family. So, I bit the bullet and wrote some seasonal posts.
5 Year End Tasks Freelance Writers Must Do
My 2015 Freelance Writing Goals – Success or Fail?
5 Ways Freelance Writers Can Motivate Themselves After the Holidays
And you know what? I’m happy that I did. I plan to do that again next holiday.
34. Write a Post On an Obscure or Unknown Fact
Maybe you found a shortcut to some complex task or found an easy way to do a typical task. I recently created a post on 2 Obscure Ways Freelance Writers Can Create Samples.
I had learned some cool ways brand new freelance writers could score some clips and I wanted to share them with my readers.
This idea can also be adapted for your clients. If you work with a B2B company and found some neat hack with their product, let them know and pitch that idea for their blog.
35. Write a Mistakes Post
People love to read about the worst things or the top mistakes of something. Normally, people don’t want to fail, so posts like these are enticing for most people.
I’ve done my share of mistake-type posts on this blog!
36. Write a ‘Why You Got Started’ Post
It’s fascinating to read how successful people first got started. How did they get started and why did the choose to go that way?
You can pitch this idea to your clients if you know their brand inside and out and you can do this type of post on your blog.
37. Do a Series
Instead of trying to come up with a months worth of blog topics, why not think of one topic and write several posts on it?
For example, Sarah Titus on her blog is doing a 52 week series on how to build your credit score.
I’ve Got Your Blog and Client’s Blog Covered
Ha, what I mean is, I covered 37 blog post ideas for you and your clients. If you write one blog post a week, that’s 9 months of content I’ve suggested!
Do you have some more blog post ideas I didn’t mention? Please share them with me!
Don’t forget to grab your free schedule for your blog posts.
FREE: Click here and grab my freelance writer blog post schedule
Oh, and please Pin me!